2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500

I HAVE A 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO PICKUP WITH 71937 MILES TODAY JUST DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD ON THE DIC DISPLAY IT PUT A MESSAGE OUT OF SERVICE AIR BAGS AND RED LIGHT IS ON DASH ALSO. I CALLED THE CHEVY DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT IT AND THEY TOLD ME IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR REPAIRS AND OH HE SAID THE AIR BAGS WOULD NOT WORK UNTIL IT WAS REPAIRED. ALL THE FORUMS I HAVE READ SO FAR SAY THAT THE PROBLEM AFTER THEY HAVE IT REPAIRED STILL COMES BACK. IS THIS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE COVERED BY GM ? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 HD. THE CONTACT STARTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE ABS LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE ABS ELECTRONIC BRAIN FAILED. THE REPAIR COST WAS QUOTED AT $1,300. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 83,400. UPDATED 05/26/09 *BF UPDATED 05/28/09.*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 HD. WHEN THE CONTACT STARTED THE VEHICLE, SHE NOTICED THAT THE ABS WARNING INDICATOR WAS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BECAME INOPERABLE AND SHE COULD NOT READ THE SPEEDOMETER AND OTHER GAUGES. THE DEALER REPLACED THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANEL AT THE COST OF $1,383. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED AGAIN, INCLUDING THE FUEL GAUGE, SPEEDOMETER, AND WARNING LIGHTS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANEL FAILED A SECOND TIME. THE REPAIR WOULD COST OVER $1,800. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,417 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 128,880.

ON MY 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO 2500HD WITH VORTEC 8100 (496 IN3) ENGINE, THE POWER STEERING PUMP ALSO ACTS AS THE POWER SOURCE FOR THE BRAKE BOOSTER (I BELIEVE). THUS, MANY TIMES WHEN I HAVE MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE THERE'S A PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER STEERING. IN ORDER TO FULLY REGAIN THE POWER STEERING, I HAVE TO LET MY FOOT UP OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL. THIS POWER-STEERING-PUMP-AS-BRAKE-BOOSTER SET-UP IS UNIQUE TO THIS ENGINE. SO FAR, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET BY WITHOUT EXPERIENCING A CRITICAL SITUATION. THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING WAS WORSE BEFORE I REPLACED THE SERPENTINE BELT TWO YEARS AGO (<10,000 MILES). I HAD GOODYEAR INSTALL A HIGH-QUALITY BELT THEY MANUFACTURE THEMSELVES. COLD WEATHER START-UP CONDITIONS ARE THE WORSE; THUS IN COLD WEATHER I PREFER TO LET THE ENGINE WARM UP TO ELIMINATE THE POTENTIAL FOR LOSS OF POWER STEERING. I JUST THINK THAT OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE (WITH THE 8100 ENGINE) SHOULD BE FULLY AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSFER CASE WAS DESIGNED WITH A DEFECT. AS A RESULT, THE PUMP IN THE TRANSFER CASE WORE A HOLE FROM THE INSIDE TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE TRANSFER CASE. THIS ALLOWED THE OIL IN THE TRANSFER CASE TO PUMP OUT THE HOLE AND CAUSED THE TRANSFER CASE TO RUN DRIVE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000. UPDATED 3/16/09 *CN THE POWER STEERING STARTED LEAKING FLUID. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE POWER STEERING FLUID LEAK WAS COMING FROM THE HYDRO BOOSTER ONTO THE POWER STEERING GEAR. THE CONSUMER LOST HIS BRAKES. IT WAS DISCOVERED THE BOOSTER ROD WAS MISSING. THE PARKING BRAKE DID NOT WORK AND THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED AS WELL. THE SPEEDOMETER DID NOT WORK IT WAS READING 60 MPH EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. UPDATED 03/18/09. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 HD. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG SUDDENLY DEPLOYED. THE SUDDEN DEPLOYMENT HINDERED THE CONTACT'S VISIBILITY, ALONG WITH THE SMOKE AND POWDER THAT EMITTED FROM THE AIR BAG. HE ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE WINDOWS AND NOTICED THAT ALL ELECTRICITY IN THE VEHICLE WAS LOST. HE COULD NOT UNLOCK THE DOORS OR ROLL DOWN THE WINDOWS. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE CONTACT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR COSTS. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 162,462.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE MUST DISCONNECT HIS BATTERY IN ORDER FOR THE SPEEDOMETER TO WORK. THE SPEEDOMETER IS STUCK ON 45 MPH AND DOES NOT MOVE UP OR DOWN. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL; HOWEVER, A TSB STATED THAT WITHIN SEVEN YEARS OR 70,000 MILES THE GAUGE CLUSTERS COULD BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE TSB. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,400. UPDATED 03/23/09. *LJ THE CONSUMER STATED HE NEVER KNOWS HOW FAST HE IS DRIVING. UPDATED 03/24/09*JB